MCDONALD OBSERVATORY
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
Research Experience for Undergraduates
in Astronomy and Engineering
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Project Titles from Previous Years Several of these projects from previous years have resulted in papers.
Project Examples The following are possible projects in two categories: scientific and engineering. Because the observatory is a dynamic place with changing engineering priorities the exact projects will be chosen and documented after the deadline for applications are due. The following are probable projects that will be conducted while the REU students are on site but the list is not complete. The candidates are encouraged to express their preferences for projects and/or advisors. ScientificUpdating the Wilson-Bappu-Stencel CorrelationAdvisors: Dr. Robert Stencel and Dr. Matthew Shetrone 
Wilson and Bappu (1957 ApJ 125) published an empirical correlation between
the FHWM of the emission core of the CaII K-Line at 393nm and the intrinsic
luminosity among late-type dwarf, giant, and supergiant stars. Later on,
Stencel (1977 ApJ 215) extended this luminosity calibrator by using
so-called wing emission lines found in the wings of the H and K lines.
Efforts to extend these techniques to the brightest supergiants in local
group galaxies were frustrated by the limits of photographic coude spectra
at the time, even on 4-meter telescopes. With the advent of CCD spectroscopy
and S/N possible with 8-meter telescopes, we here explore the potential for
extragalactic hypergiant star distance calibration.
Using digital libraries of high-resolution spectra, we can measure the line widths of the CaII H and K lines and the wing emission lines in late type stars. By plotting the measured FWHM and absolute magnitude, we re-evaluate the Wilson-Bappu-Stencel line-width-to-luminosity correlation for the K core emission and H-K core wing emission lines. Because the H-K wing emission lines remain visible in very luminous stars cooler than F1, whereas circumstellar absorption obliterates the core emission, the wing line-width-to-luminosity correlation may be useful in estimating intrinsic luminosity for these stars. Quantifying Galaxy Structure Advisor: Dr. Stephen Odewahn The goal of this project is to integrate a number of established software tools to create a stand-alone program that can decompose the light distribution in a galaxy image. A standard bulge+disk fit will be performed, and a Fourier-based fitting method will be used to model the high spatial frequency signal in the image. After a robust decomposition tool is tested, we will investigate the use of artificial neural networks in identifying morphological features such as bars and spiral arms in galaxy images. A large collection of BVR images of galaxies obtained with the McDonald 0.8-meter telescope will be used for the code development and to study how morphological features change with the filter used to observe them. Students will also have the opportunity to observe more galaxies with this instrument during the summer. Experience with a programming language is desirable, particularly fortran or python. Some knowledge of CCD reduction with packages such as IRAF would also be helpful. For more details see: Odewahn etal 2002 ApJ,568,539 Deep Mixing Statistics in the Globular Cluster NGC5466 Advisor: Dr. Matthew Shetrone 
Nearly all globular clusters are assumed to be mono-metallic and
of a single age. However, all globular clusters surveyed thus far
have shown a strange star to star variation in C, N, O, Al, Na and
sometimes Mg despite all other elements in the periodic table being
the same from star to star. An exception to this rule may be
the globular cluster NGC 5466. In this project the student will work
with data collected from a newly developed instrument, Virus-p,
mounted on both the 2.7m Smith Telescope and the 9.2m HET Telescopes.
The object of this project will be to determine the fraction of
stars which show the deep mixing abundance pattern in NGC 5466.
This project will most likely result in a AAS paper and possibly
a publication in a refereed journal.
High Speed Photometry of White Dwarfs Advisors: Dr. Don Winget and Dr. Mike Montgomery Our research group uses white dwarf stars to study many fundamental questions in physics and astronomy. These include:
Radial Velocities and Photometry of RR Lyr Stars Advisor: Dr. Thomas Barnes 
RR Lyrae variables are a key component of the older population of the
Galaxy. With typical light and velocity variations taking 7-16 hours,
they are both readily discovered and observed. RR Lyr are a useful
standard candle for measuring distances in the Galaxy and nearby galaxies
and for providing insight into the metal enrichment history of this
older population. In this project, we will both observe - over
their complete pulsation cycles - and reduce observations of RR Lyr
variables at McDonald Observatory. Depending on the interests of the
student, these will involve either photometry observations (0.7m telescope)
or radial velocity observations (2.1m telescope) of a few RR Lyr stars.
This project could lead to a poster at an AAS meeting and
possibly a publication.
EngineeringHardware Programming for the Hobby-Eberly Telescope CO2 Cleaning SystemAdvisor: Jerry Martin, Opto-Mechanical Technician 
The HET is an innovatively designed telescope with 91 one meter mirrors
at a fixed Elevation. Unfortunately, this design does not lend itself
to a mirror cover which would protect the mirror from excess dust and
wear. As a result we must clean the mirror several times a week,
a process that is both expensive and requires much of the engineering
staff. We have several ideas on how to lower the cost and automate
some of the procedure which could lower the number of staff required.
This project will require working with hardware and PLC programming
and is ideal for astronomers or computer scientists interested in hardware
or engineers interested in programming.
High resolution wavefront sensor software for the HET Advisor: Dr. Phillip MacQueen, Chief Scientist A high resolution wavefront sensor will be deployed this spring on the Hobby Eberly Telescope. This WFS will measure various misalignments in the HET optics using star light, and will provide feed back to the various telescope control systems so that the misalignments can be corrected. The HET is an 8 m class telescope that was build at a small fraction of the cost of other 8 m telescopes by changing the way in which the telescope tracks objects, giving up certain general capabilities, and by applying various high technologies. Rather than the entire telescope moving to track objects across the sky, a star tracker moves just an instrumentation package so that it follows the image of the object that is formed by the 10 m HET primary mirror. The instrumentation package weights a few tons, is 13 m above the primary mirror, and can move nearly 4 m while tracking an object for an hour or two. The instrumentation packages moves several mm per second, and must be at the correct xyz position as a function of time to about 10 microns, with it's angular tip and tilt held to around a 5 arcsecond accuracy. The 10 m primary mirror is a mosaic of 91 segments, each mounted on three precision actuators for alignment purposes. The actuators allow segments to be individually moved forward and back (pistoned) with micron precision, as well as tip-tilted with 1/40th arcsecond precision. 
In the most advanced operating mode, the WFS will provide real time feed
back for the x,y,z,tip, and tilt position of the instrument package, as
well as providing slow feedback on the piston and tip-tilt of the primary
mirror segments. The task for this REU position is work with the advisor
on developing the algorithms for the WFS, write the core software for
applying the algorithms to the WFS data, work with other staff to
incorporate the REU student's software into the HET guider software, and
commission this important HET capability. A sound understanding of
mathematical techniques, intuition about physical systems or experience
with optics, and good programming skills in C (or the ability to learn
them quickly starting from other programming experience) are needed. It
is expected that this work will see routine use on the HET to provide a
valuable improvement in its performance, and result in an SPIE
publication.
McDonald Weather Patterns Advisor: Dr. Thomas Barnes A key element in planning any observing program is to understand the probable weather pattern at the observatory. This is almost always based on anecdotal knowledge. However, McDonald Observatory has weather logs from its telescopes going back 27 years. The first 22 years have been condensed into MS Excel files. In this project we will use these data to document the seasonal weather patterns at McDonald Observatory for use by observers in planning their programs. We will also look for trends that may indicate long term changes affecting the site. This project could lead to a poster at an AAS meeting. A GIS representation of McDonald Observatory Advisors: Rex Barrick, Manager-Physical Plant 
McDonald Observatory McDonald Observatory is a small town in many
respects. It has a water supply and treatment system, road
infrastructures, electrical and phone systems, housing areas and
industrial areas. Trying to manage these infrastructures has always
been a challenge. As part of an upgrade to the management of the
system the Observatory is creating a ArcGIS map of the entire
facility with hyperlinks and topographical markings. Assistance in
this project would be ideal for someone with exposure to the GIS
environment and an interest in mapping or city planning.
Software Improvements in the Hobby-Eberly Planning Software Advisor: Dr. Matthew Shetrone The Hobby-Eberly Telescope is a 100% queue scheduled telescope and thus most of the interactions between the researchers and the local observers is through a software interface that has been developed on site. The student would help develop the tools needed to report to the scientists and engineers how the HET is performing. This project will require extensive code writing and will require the student to learn how the modern research telescopes operate. Much of the programming will involve interactions with MySQL databases through PHP and other database tools and may involve coding in C, Python, or other relevant languages depending on the skills of the student. This project is ideal for astronomers interested in applying their computer programming skills or for computer scientists who wish to see their efforts put to use in a professional setting. Environmental Data Collection Advisor: Jim Fowler, HET Systems Analyst 
Knowledge of the current atmospheric environment is important at an
observatory for the safety of the telescope as well as to optimize
observations. Although the Hobby-Eberly Telescope collects weather and
seeing measurements already we would like to add additional monitors in
order to better characterize the local environment. A student could write
applications to collect and archive the data. This requires some knowledge
of hardware/software interaction and interface issues. The student would
work with Onewire RS232 protocol coding and would write the output to an
ascii database. This project is ideal for an EE student interested in
improving their software skills or a CE student interested in working
with hardware.
Electrical Engineering at the HET Advisor: George Damm, HET Electrical Engineer We have identified several potential projects for a student interested in Electrical Engineering at the HET. At the present time we can not determine which of these will be viable for the summer of 2008 but would like to encourage electrical engineering students to apply so we may begin the discussion with top candidates. |