Queen's Astronomy Research Group

Richard Henriksen

owhdig — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 14:05:32 +0000

Richard Henriksen owhdig Tue, 01/17/2023 - 09:05

Last name

Henriksen

First name

Richard

Position / job title

Professor Emeritus

Phone

613-533-6000 ext. 36851

henriksn@astro.queensu.ca

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Birth of Stars

My interests have ranged widely over the field of astrophysics. At present a major theme is the attempt to construct a detailed model of the birth of stars. We should remember that the stars provide the light and heat of our Universe and as such are probably its dominant characteristic. We know that star birth occurs mainly in the cold molecular clouds of galaxies, but we do not understand fully the processes that lead to intense beams of matter that are ejected in diametrically opposed directions as the star forms and proceeds through its early evolution. Nor do we understand the way in which the enormous magnetic flux and angular momentum associated with the diffuse material that eventually forms the star is reduced to values compatible with the existence of the star. It is likely however that this reduction is what is happening when the beams are formed in conjunction with the giant X-ray flares that also seem to be associated with the birth of young stars.

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Birth of Stars, Relativistic Astrophysics

People Directory Affiliation Category

Emeriti

Department

The Department of Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy

Unit

Queen's Astronomy Research Group (QUARG)

Website

Henriksen Profile

Gregg A. Wade

owhdig — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 22:50:55 +0000

Gregg A. Wade owhdig Tue, 08/16/2022 - 18:50

Last name

Wade

First name

Gregg A.

Position / job title

Professor - cross appointed from RMC (Royal Military College)

Phone

613-533-6000 ext. 6140

gregg.wade@queensu.ca

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Stellar Structure and Magnetic Fields, Spectro-Polarimetry

Gregg Wade's research is aimed mainly at understanding magnetic fields in stars: how they are structured, how they influence the stellar plasma in which they are embedded, how they evolve, and where they came from in the first place. His approach is primarily observational, exploiting powerful telescopes and spectropolarimetric instrumentation at observatories around the world.

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Stellar Structure and Magnetic Fields, Spectro-Polarimetry

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Faculty

Department

The Department of Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy

Unit

Queen's Astronomy Research Group (QUARG)

Website

Gregg Wade Website

Lawrence Widrow

owhdig — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 22:45:38 +0000

Lawrence Widrow owhdig Tue, 08/16/2022 - 18:45

Last name

Widrow

First name

Lawrence

Position / job title

Professor

Phone

613-533-6858

widrow@queensu.ca

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Dark Matter, Galaxy Models, Extragalactic Magnetic Fields

Larry Widrow works in the field of theoretical astrophysics and cosmology and has focused on problems related to the nature of dark matter, the formation of structure in the Universe, and cosmic magnetic fields. His research interests also include the structure and dynamics of disk galaxies such as the Milky Way and M31 as studied through theoretical modelling and numerical simulation. Why do some galaxies have bars? What happens when galaxies collide? What is the energy distribution of dark matter passing through a terrestrial detector? These are just some of the problems explored by Widrow and his students.

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Dark Matter, Galaxy Models, Extragalactic Magnetic Fields

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Faculty

Office location

Stirling Hall 373

Department

The Department of Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy

Unit

Queen's Astronomy Research Group (QUARG)

Website

Lawrence Widrow Website

Kristine Spekkens

owhdig — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 22:35:33 +0000

Kristine Spekkens owhdig Tue, 08/16/2022 - 18:35

Last name

Spekkens

First name

Kristine

Position / job title

Professor

Phone

613-533-6040

kristine.spekkens@queensu.ca

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Structure and Evolution of Nearby Galaxies

Kristine Spekkens' research focuses on understanding of the structure and evolution of nearby galaxies in a cosmological context. She is spearheading a variety of projects to help reconcile long-standing discrepancies between the observed properties of spiral galaxies and predictions from galaxy formation theory, and is particularly interested in developing robust techniques for inferring the distribution of dark matter in these systems. Dr. Spekkens is also involved in planning surveys with the next generation of radio telescopes to map the distribution and kinematics of atomic hydrogen in galaxies in diverse environments out to moderate redshifts. Dr. Spekkens' program thus affords graduate students the opportunity to carry out research with the world's largest radio and optical telescopes, and to develop new tools for interpreting the high-quality data obtained from these facilities.

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Structure and Evolution of Nearby Galaxies

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Faculty

Department

The Department of Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy

Unit

Queen's Astronomy Research Group (QUARG)

Nahee Park

owhdig — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 22:28:08 +0000

Nahee Park owhdig Tue, 08/16/2022 - 18:28

Last name

Park

First name

Nahee

Position / job title

Assistant Professor

Phone

613-533-6323

nahee.park@queensu.ca

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High-energy astroparticle physics with multi-messenger observations

High-energy astroparticle physics with multi-messenger observations I am an experimental astroparticle physicist studying high-energy particles in our Galaxy and beyond. I study how these particles are accelerated in extreme environments, such as supernova remnants and supermassive black holes, and how they propagate throughout the Universe. My research interests focus on investigating the origins of these particles by combining the data from direct cosmic-ray observations with indirect gamma-ray and neutrino observations. As part of multiple international collaborations, including the IceCube Neutrino Observatory located at the South Pole, the VERITAS gamma-ray observatory in Arizona, and the HELIX balloon experiment scheduled to launch in 2022, I am analyzing currently available data while actively developing detectors for future experiments.

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High-energy astroparticle physics with multi-messenger observations

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Faculty

Office location

Stirling Hall 304D, Lab 150-156

Department

The Department of Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy

Unit

Queen's Astronomy Research Group (QUARG)

Website

LEMMA (Laboratory for Extreme Multi-Messenger Astrophysics)

Kayll Lake

owhdig — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 22:20:51 +0000

Kayll Lake owhdig Tue, 08/16/2022 - 18:20

Last name

Lake

First name

Kayll

Position / job title

Professor

Phone

613-533-2720

lakek@queensu.ca

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General Relativity; Computer Algebra

Prof. Lake's works in general relativity and the application of general relativity to astrophysics ranging from the study of black holes to cosmology. He is best known for the development of GRTensor with his students, an abstract computer system for doing calculations in general relativity and string theory.

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General Relativity; Computer Algebra

People Directory Affiliation Category

Faculty

Office location

Stirling Hall 308G

Department

The Department of Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy

Unit

Queen's Astronomy Research Group (QUARG)

Website

Kayll Lake Website

Judith Irwin

owhdig — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 22:14:57 +0000

Judith Irwin owhdig Tue, 08/16/2022 - 18:14

Last name

Irwin

First name

Judith

Position / job title

Professor

Phone

613-533-2717

irwinja@queensu.ca

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Interstellar Medium in Galaxies; Disk-Halo Connection, Galaxy Outflows

Judith Irwin's research focusses on studies of the interstellar medium (ISM) in our own and other nearby galaxies. Of particular interest are the relationships between a galaxy's ISM and the surrounding intergalactic environment. Many spiral galaxies, for example, show extensive gas and dust in discrete features and halos around the stellar disk. This research attempts to determine the origin of the observed features, provide physical parameters for them, and determine the outcome of the activity. This research primarily uses the world's radio telescopes. Graduate students have gone to, or used data from, the Very Large Array in the USA, the Giant Metre-Wave Radio Telescope in India, the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii, the Nobeyama mm-Wave array in Japan, the Arecibo Telescope in Puerto Rico, and the space-based Infra-Red Satellite Observatory and XMM Newton.

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Interstellar Medium in Galaxies; Disk-Halo Connection, Galaxy Outflows

People Directory Affiliation Category

Faculty

Office location

Stirling Hall 308E

Department

The Department of Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy

Unit

Queen's Astronomy Research Group (QUARG)

Website

Judith Irwin Website

Laura Fissel

owhdig — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 22:10:31 +0000

Laura Fissel owhdig Tue, 08/16/2022 - 18:10

Last name

Fissel

First name

Laura

Position / job title

Assistant Professor

Phone

613-533-3121

laura.fissel@queensu.ca

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Star Formation Studies with Balloon-Borne Telescopes

I study how stars and planets form. Star formation appears to be an incredibly inefficient process, and this has important consequences for everything from the chemical evolution of our universe, to the formation of planets. To study how star formation is regulated, I work with international teams of scientists to design and build powerful balloon-borne telescopes. Balloon telescopes operate in the stratosphere, above more than 99.5% of the Earthâ€™s atmosphere, and can therefore make large and extremely detailed maps of star-forming regions in our galaxy. One of our telescopes, BLAST-TNG, is scheduled for a first launch from Antarctica in December 2019. I also leads surveys using larger ground-based telescopes from all over the world, in order to get even more detailed views of star and planet-forming regions. My research team works closely with theoretical astrophysicists to make detailed comparisons of our observations to predictions from simulations of star formation.

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Star Formation Studies with Balloon-Borne Telescopes

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Faculty

Office location

Stirling Hall 208C

Department

The Department of Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy

Unit

Queen's Astronomy Research Group (QUARG)

Website

Fissel Research Group

Martin Duncan

owhdig — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 22:05:55 +0000

Martin Duncan owhdig Tue, 08/16/2022 - 18:05

Last name

Duncan

First name

Martin

Position / job title

Professor Emeritus

duncanm@queensu.ca

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Formation and Evolution of Planetary Systems

Martin Duncan, with students and colleagues, is incorporating a variety of methods to more efficiently model planet formation processes such as the interaction of large bodies ("protoplanets") amongst themselves and with a population of smaller bodies. We are now poised to tackle pressing problems which have been hitherto computationally intractable. These include extensive simulations of the mid- to late stages of the formation of Earth-like and giant planets and the influence of the planet-building process (e.g. planet migration) and the Sun's early presence in a star cluster on the structure of the outer solar system.

Short description for searchable directory

Formation and Evolution of Planetary Systems

People Directory Affiliation Category

Emeriti

Department

The Department of Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy

Unit

Queen's Astronomy Research Group (QUARG)

Dave Hanes

owhdig — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 21:20:19 +0000

Dave Hanes owhdig Tue, 08/16/2022 - 17:20

Last name

Hanes

First name

Dave

Position / job title

Professor Emeritus

Phone

613-533-6439

hanesd@queensu.ca

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Globular Star Clusters; Observational Cosmology

We are analyzing the globular cluster systems associated with external galaxies and elucidating their photometric and spatial properties. Globular clusters are the earliest-formed components of galaxies, and their nature and distribution will provide clues into the complex subject of galaxy formation and enrichment. Because the great intrinsic luminosity of globular clusters allows them to be readily seen in remote external galaxies, they are ideal cosmic distance indicators. We are developing refinements in this application as part of a comprehensive review of the extragalactic distance scale.

Short description for searchable directory

Globular Star Clusters; Observational Cosmology

People Directory Affiliation Category

Emeriti

Department

The Department of Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy

Unit

Queen's Astronomy Research Group (QUARG)