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SMA Community Day
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Program
Monday, July 11, 2011
9:00 - 9:20 Coffee
9:20 - 10:30 SMA Science
10:30 - 11:00 Coffee
11:00 - 12:30 SMA Science
12:30 - 12:45 Set-up for Lunch
12:45 - 1:20 During Lunch
1:20 - 1:35 Break
1:35 - 2:30 SMA Operations
Abstracts
Title:
Magnetic Field Mapping
Presentation in pdf format available here.
Title:
Probing Nearby Starburst Galaxies with the SMA
Abstract:
The process of star formation and feedback is intricately tied to the
evolution of galaxies at high as well as low redshifts, and is directly
related to
the presence/absence of gas in these galaxies. As observations
of high-redshift
starbursts become more and more common, detailed studies
of local starburst
galaxies is essential for the understanding and
interpretation of these observations.
I will discuss recent
high-resolution SMA observations of three nearby starburst
galaxies: NGC
253, the Antennae, and NGC 3256 and what they teach us about the
density,
temperature, as well as kinematics of molecular gas in starburst
environments.
Presentation in pdf format available here.
Title:
High Resolution SMA Imaging of Gravitationally Lensed ULIRGs at z>2 Discovered by Herschel
Abstract:
In the past year, wide-field surveys conducted by the Herschel Space
Observatory have
discovered an exciting population of ultra-luminous
infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) at z>2 that are
gravitationally lensed by an
intervening galaxy or group of galaxies along the line of sight. A
large program with the SMA is underway to obtain high spatial resolution
imaging of a sample
of ~20 of these objects. The SMA data are critical to
constraining both the mass of the lensing
system as well as the
magnification factor of the background source. I will describe the
progress
made so far in measuring both these quantities and highlight
some interesting paths of study of
these systems for the near future.
Presentation in pdf format available here.
Title:
Galactic Dust Bunnies: SMA Observations of Evolved Stars
Abstract:
The recent doubling of the SMA correlator's single receiver
mode
bandwidth allows line surveys of evolved stars in the 345 GHz
atmospheric
window to be completed in nine tracks. Three such surveys
have been
completed in the last few years, and now followup studies are
being done to
investigate interesting features found in these surveys.
In addition, the
kinematics of the inner regions of several AGB stars and
young planetary
nebulae have been studied.
Presentation in pdf format available here.
Title:
Mapping planetary atmospheres : spatial distribution, temperature and winds
Abstract:
Thanks to its high spatial resolution at submm frequencies, the SMA
can be used to map
rotational lines of molecules present in the atmospheres
of the Solar System bodies (CO,
HCN, SO2, ...). Several observations were
performed on sources as different as giant
gaseous planets (Jupiter, Neptune),
terrestrial planets (Venus, Mars), and moons
(Io and Titan). The analysis of these
datasets allows to characterize the spatial
distribution of the different species at
stratospheric or mesospheric altitudes, the
atmospheric temperature and the wind
field. These results bring new clues towards the
understanding of the chemical
and dynamic processes in planetary atmospheres.
Presentation in pdf format available here.
Title:
SMA Observations of Gamma-Ray Bursts
Abstract:
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are among the most energetic phenomena
in the
universe, emitting equivalent energy within seconds to the energy
production
of hundreds of sun-like stars over the course of a billion
years. Studying the afterglow
emission of GRBs in the radio and
sub-millimeter allows determination of associated
physical properties of
the produced relativistic jet, including its geometry, energy and
properties of the surrounding medium. Our team is targeting gamma-ray
burst triggers
from the Swift satellite within days of the initial
burst. In this talk, we will discuss the
information that can only be
gleaned from the millimeter and sub-mm and conclude
with the surprising
discovery of a gamma-ray trigger that was caused by the tidal
disruption
of a star near a million solar mass black hole and the SMA's unique
contribution to this event.
Presentation in pdf format available here.
Title:
One Possible Future for the SMA
Abstract:
The new ALMA observatory covers the same wavelengths as our SMA, but has
a much larger collecting area. The difference in sensitivity between the SMA and ALMA
will make it difficult for the SMA to collaborate and contribute. If we can improve the
sensitivity of the SMA by expanding the bandwidth with new electronics and increase the
field of view with focal-plane arrays, the new SMA will be as fast as ALMA in wide bandwidth,
wide-area mapping. Taking advantage of this new capability will require developing new
scientific capabilities in interpreting molecular lines in a spectrum covering 72 GHz.
Presentation in pdf format available here.
Title:
The SMA Data Archive
Abstract:
Many interesting astronomical sources have been observed by the SMA, and
the data is publicly available after a proprietary period of 15 months. In the past, a
significant challenge to widespread use of data from a radio interferometer such as the
SMA has been the difficulty of converting the raw data into scientifically useful images.
This process requires specialized software and the ability to run it. The SMA is the first
radio interferometer to make its data archive available as images that can be read by
standard imaging and analysis software such as DS-9. These images can be used
directly in scientific research or simply to provide a quick assessment of the quality and
character of an observation. SMA data is available in 3 formats: raw, calibrated, and
imaged, all available from our website.
Presentation in pdf format available here.
Title:
Using the SMA
Presentation in pdf format available here.
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