Astronomy of Our Galaxy (Theory)
In this segment of Physics 8990, you can do research on the astronomy of our galaxy. The overlying theme of the research is hot gas in and near the Galaxy. Some of this gas was heated by stellar explosions or stellar winds, while other regions were heated by clouds of material supersonically colliding with our galaxy. In any case, this is some of the hottest and most exciting material in our galaxy.
The following project is appropriate if your interests are in theoretical astrophysics.
Decades ago, astronomers began to see that huge clouds of material were speeding toward the galaxy. Some of these clouds have been identified as material stripped off of two very nearby galaxies. But, the origin, location, and effects of much of the remaining material is still mysterious. Some astronomers think that it is "proto-galactic" material, the building blocks of our and other galaxies. Other astronomers think that exploding stars in our galaxy pushed away this material and that it is now falling back onto our galaxy. This project seeks to answer the question. In it, you can calculate the density surrounding the clouds from a few observed parameters and can use the result to determine whether the cloud is near the galaxy or far from it.
If you would like to discuss this or other project ideas, please feel free to contact me at rls@hal.physast.uga.edu.