J. Michael Shull

Overview:

I am a Professor of Astrophysics in the Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences (APS) at the University of Colorado at Boulder. I am also a Fellow in the Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy and an Affiliated Faculty Member of the Department of Applied Mathematics.

I was educated at Caltech (BS 1972, Physics) and Princeton (PhD 1976, Physics). Following a one-year postdoc at the University of California, Berkeley (1976-77) I arrived at the University of Colorado in fall 1977, where I have worked for the past 31 years. I have received College awards for teaching (1986) and research (1996), CU Distinguished Research Lecturer (2001), President's Teaching Scholar (1994), and College Professor of Distinction (2008). The following pages give more detail on my recent activities and interests in teaching, research, and service to department, university, and profession.

Teaching and Research Activities:

I teach a variety of classes at both undergraduate and graduate level, in astronomy and astrophysics. In Spring 2009, I will teach a large non-majors class on Modern Cosmology (ASTR 2010) dealing with the Big Bang Theory for the origin and evolution of the universe. I also taught this class in Spring 2008.

In fall 2008, I taught the graduate course in Cosmology (ASTR 5770) and, together with postdoc Britton Smith, the graduate astrophysics seminar on The First Stars (ASTR 6000). In fall 2006, I taught our graduate core astrophysics course ASTR 5110 Internal Processes-1.

Over the past 30 years at CU, I have taught courses in Physics, Astrophysics, Astronomy, and Space Policy at both the undergraduate and graduate level. I have trained 16 undergraduate research students, 15 PhD thesis students, and 28 postdoctoral researchers. Undergraduate research projects include 5 senior honors theses in theoretical astrophysics and space astronomy. Undergraduate research student Kristin Gillmon was recognized as the Outstanding Graduate of the College of Arts & Sciences for her 2005 Honors Thesis on Infrared and Ultraviolet Studies of Molecular Hydrogen in the Galactic Infrared Cirrus

My current research group includes 5 postdocs (Charles Danforth, Britton Smith, Yangsen Yao, Beth Fernandez, Michele Trenti), two graduate students (Devin Silvia, Erin Zekis), one professional research assistant (Teresa Ross), and a CU undergraduate (Charles Romero).

In national activities, I am past-Chair of the Board of Directors for AURA (Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy), which manages a number of national observatories: the National Optical Astronomy Observatories (NOAO), the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) , and the National Solar Observatory (NSO) . AURA's current activities are focused on working with NASA and NSF to develop powerful new observational facilities for ground-based and space-borne astronomy, such as:

• James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
• Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST)
• Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST)
• Giant Segmented Mirror Telescope (GSMT)

The research in my group is supported by grants from NASA and NSF, and from the Space Telescope Science Institute, the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer, and the Spitzer Science Center. My research includes both theoretical and observational studies of the interstellar medium (ISM) and intergalactic medium (IGM), quasars and black holes, galaxy formation, heavy elements and molecules in space. My specific research areas include:

• Theoretical astrophysics and observational space astronomy
• Interstellar medium (ISM) and Intergalactic medium (IGM)
• Quasars, Seyfert Galaxies, and active galaxies
• Supernovae, Supernova remnants and Superbubbles
• The first stars and galaxies, high-redshift IGM reionization
• Application of atomic/molecular physics to astrophysics

Theoretical studies include models of the high-redshift IGM, including its cosmological reionization by the first hot stars and the radiative feedback from star formation in the first galaxies. The computer simulation images shown below illustrate (left) active regions of star formation at redshift z = 12.5, triggered by H2 cooling shown in blue (Ricotti, Gnedin, & Shull 2002a,b; 2008). On the right is a density projection showing the hot, shock-heated filaments of IGM (courtesy of postdocs Britton Smith and Eric Hallman).

My group's theoretical studies of the First Stars include Nucleosynthesis, Reionization, and Mass Function of stars formed at redshifts z = 10-30, and thermodynamic studies of the cooling of primordial gas clouds, to determine Critical Metallicities for Second-Generation Stars. Recent projects include numerical simulations of the Fate of the First Galaxies. with Massimo Ricotti and Nick Gnedin. We use supercomputers to model how these Dwarf Primordial Galaxies form and evolve, and assess the impact of their radiation, gaseous outflows, and newly synthesized heavy elements. Related work with Aparna Venkatesan investigates First-Light Ionizing Sources and the Optical Depth of the Cosmic Microwave Background. These studies constrain the epoch of reionization of the high-redshift intergalactic medium by the earliest massive stars and black holes, at redshifts z > 7.

My recent space-observational work includes a Hubble Survey of Missing Matter between the Galaxies. Postdoc Charles Danforth and I used ultraviolet spectrographs on the Hubble and FUSE satellites to observe the structure, ionization state, and chemical composition of Intergalactic Matter at Redshifts z < 0.4. Our studies also produced a census of ordinary matter (baryons) in the local Universe. The pie-chart below shows their distribution: less than 10% resides in galaxies, and most of the matter lies in intergalactic space, observable through absorption-line spectra in the ultraviolet and X-ray wavelength bands.

Shull and collaborators (Joe Collins, Jennifer Westbrook, Mark Giroux) have used ultraviolet spectra to probe the mass and chemical abundances of Galactic halo gas seen in High-Velocity Clouds (Collins, Shull, & Giroux 2007). Many of these High-Velocity Clouds, such as the well-studied Complex C (Collins, Shull, & Giroux 2003, 2007), are falling onto the Milky Way disk. In a Hubble survey of the high-latitude Galactic sky in the strong UV absorption line of ionized silicon (Si III), we have found a major reservoir of ionized gas in the Galactic Halo that could bring a fresh supply (about 1 solar mass per year) of matter to replenish ongoing star formation. Other space-observational projects involve a FUSE study of He II Reionization at z=3 in the Intergalactic Medium, and a FUSE survey of High-latitude interstellar molecular hydrogen.

My future space-astronomy interests center around a powerful new instrument for the Hubble Space Telescope, the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS), which was installed during the recent Hubble Servicing Mission (May 2009). COS should deliver 10-20 times the light throughput of the previous (STIS) spectrograph aboard Hubble. Our science team will study the origins and evolution of the intergalactic gas, quasars, and galaxies through ultraviolet spectroscopic studies of D/H, He II reionization, and chemical abundances in the IGM and galactic halos. In particular, COS (see image below) will study the spatial distribution of primordial and shock-heated intergalactic gas and heavy elements expelled into intergalactic space by massive stars and supernovae. The expected topology of the intergalactic gas (shock-heated filaments in the "Cosmic Web") is shown in the simulation figure below.

At entirely different wavelengths in the far-infrared, Danforth and Shull are using the Spitzer Space Telescope to observe dust emission from diffuse infrared cirrus clouds in the low Galactic Halo. These interstellar cirrus clouds have been found to contain significant amounts of molecular hydrogen, detected through their strong H2 ultraviolet absorption lines.

During 2007, I was on sabbatical leave (Caltech, Santa Barbara, Munich, etc.) working on theoretical models of early galaxy formation, reionization of the IGM, and the first and second-generation stars. I am also learning more about the scientific possibilities of long-wavelength observations in the far-infrared and sub-millimeter. These can be done at new facilities such as those on the Atacama plateau in Chile (below)

We are eagerly awaiting new UV spectral data from NASA's recent (May 2009) installation of the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope. For the future, I am involved in advocacy and planning for a powerful 8-meter UV/Optical Space Telescope, used to study galaxies, stars, planets, and Emergence of the Modern Universe.

Academic Information:

Over the past 30 years at CU, I have taught courses in Physics, Astrophysics, and Space Policy at both the undergraduate and graduate level. I wrote an undergraduate Physics textbook (with Ted Snow) and have been co-editor of 7 Conference Procedings, including three of the well-known "Tetons Conferences on Astrophysics". In 2005, I was elected Fellow of the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science).

I served as APS Department Chair (1998-2004), Associate Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences (1988-1990), and Faculty Associate Vice Chancellor (1995-1997). I led campus curricular development and strategic planning, including the Campus Strategic Plan (1995-1997). and the design and implementation of the Core Curriculum (1989-1990) for the College of Arts & Sciences. Nationally, I was previously Chair of the Space Telescope Institute Council (STIC) and Chair of the Board of Directors (2005-2008) for the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA). AURA manages the US National Optical Astronomy Observatories (for NSF) and the Space Telescope Science Institute (for NASA).

For the APS department, I wrote the 2002-03 strategic plan and headed the development of our new Undergraduate Degree Program in Astronomy & Astrophysics, which now has 120-130 majors and graduates approximately 20 students per year. As Department Chair, I raised substantial private funds to support graduate and undergraduate scholarships and fellowships, academic and planetarium support, and our $2M (12.5%) capital share in the 3.5-meter telescope at the Apache Point Observatory, managed by the Astrophysical Research Consortium (ARC).

In Jan 2001 we joined the ARC consortium as a 1/16 partner, and in Jan. 2006 we doubled our observing share to 1/8 (80 nights/year), thanks to several generous private donations. As part of this new agreement, CU/CASA built the $1.3M Near Infrared Camera and Fabry-Perot Spectrograph (NIC-FPS) for this telescope, installed November 2004 under the supervision of Dr. James Green, with help from CASA staff (Stephane Beland), faculty (John Bally, John Stocke), graduate students (Fred Hearty, Meredith Drosback, Nathaniel Cunningham) and APS undergraduate majors.

Last decade, I headed the UVOWG (Ultraviolet-Optical Working Group) charged by NASA with studying the scientific and technology issues for the next generation of space missions after the Hubble Space Telescope -- the Space Ultraviolet Observatory, or SUVO. Our efforts included a conference (Ultraviolet-Optical Space Astronomy Beyond the Hubble Space Telescope, ASP Conf. Series, Vol 164) and a White Paper entitled The Emergence of the Modern Universe: Tracing the Cosmic Web. I served on the "UV, Optical, and Infrared Astronomy from Space" panel of the NRC Astronomy and Astrophysics Decade Survey. This decade (2009-2010) I am serving on the Astro2010 (Astronomy and Astrophysics) Decadal Survey as Chair of the Science Frontier Panel examining The Galactic Neighborhood .

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Teaching Interests:

I teach undergraduate courses in General Astronomy (Stars & Galaxies) and Modern Cosmology, and graduate core astrophysics courses on Internal Processes-1, Internal Processes-2, and Cosmology. In spring 2005, I taught an upper-level Undergraduate Core Curriculum (Critical Thinking) course entitled ASTR 4800 Space Science: Practice and Policy.

Courses Taught at Colorado:

• ASTR 1120 (General Astronomy 2)
• ASTR 1020 (Introductory Astronomy: Stars and Galaxies)
• ASTR 2010 (Modern Cosmology)
• ASTR 3220 (Intermediate Astronomy: Stars and Galaxies)
• ASTR 4800 (Space Science: Practice and Policy)
• ASTR 5110 (Internal Processes 1)
• ASTR 5120 (Internal Processes 2)
• ASTR 5710 (High Energy Astrophysics)
• ASTR 5720 (Galaxies and Cosmology)
• ASTR 5740 (Interstellar Astrophysics)
• ASTR 5770 (Cosmology)
• ASTR 6000 (Seminar in Astrophysics) - on numerous topics

Undergraduate Teaching:

• I am actively involved in classroom teaching and curriculum development. I lead the proposal efforts for our new undergraduate degree in Astronomy and Astrophysics, which is now entering its 8th year (2008-09 academic year) with over 130 majors.

• I am also a member of the President's Teaching Scholars. This group of faculty members, from all four campuses of CU, meets regularly to discuss major issues in teaching, pedagogy, and educational policy.

• I regularly teach Introductory Astronomy-2 (ASTR 1020) and General Astronomy: Stars and Galaxies (ASTR 1120). For the College of Arts and Sciences upper-level Core Curriculum, I developed a Critical Thinking course entitled "Space Science: Practice and Policy" (ASTR 4800), which introduces juniors and seniors to current controversies in science that illustrate the scientific method and the interplay of observation, theory, and science policy.

• I also instigated the development of our department's series of single-semester courses for undergraduate non-majors. These courses, on the topics of Modern Cosmology, Space Astronomy, Black Holes, Ancient Astronomies, and Extra-Terrestrial Life, have become popular additions to our standard two-semester Introductory Astronomy courses. My own teaching in this series has been in Modern Cosmology.

Graduate Teaching:

• At the graduate level, I teach astrophysics discipline courses on Interstellar Matter (ASTR 5740), Galaxies (ASTR 5720), Cosmology (ASTR 5770), and High-Energy Astrophysics (ASTR 5710). I have taught numerous graduate (ASTR 6000) seminars on a variety of topics such as: Galaxy Formation, X-ray Astronomy, The Intergalactic Medium, and The First Stars,

• I teach a graduate core sequence, the first semester of which is entitled Internal Processes-1 (ASTR 5110). The second semester is Internal Processes-2 (ASTR 5120). These two courses cover the "Physics of Astrophysics" for first-year graduate students in physics, astrophysics, and planetary sciences. The topics covered include: applied quantum mechanics, atomic and molecular physics, spectroscopy, spectrum formation, thermal and ionization physics, statistical mechanics, Boltzmann equation, kinetic theory, transport coefficients, radiative transfer, and astrophysical hydrodynamics.